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River City Ransom: Underground
River City Ransom: Underground (熱血物語UG "Nekketsu Monogatari Underground" in Japan) is a game developed by Conatus Creative Inc. and published by Arc System Works. It is a spin-off of the Kunio-kun series and the official sequel to River City Ransom, the North American version of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (known in Europe as Street Gangs). The game was released for PC on multiple digital distribution platforms including Steam and GOG.com, the game is also available on the Humble Bundle storefront. Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the director of the original Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun was involved in the game's development as a creative consultant (he was a producer for Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari). Story It's been about 20 years since Alex and Ryan thwarted Simon's kidnapping of Cindy and his attempt to take control of River City with a gang of evil bosses. A new kidnapping is reported in River City, and a group of River City High students known as the Flock is framed for it. The Flock's leader also went missing at the same time as the kidnapping. They eventually wind up meeting Alex and Ryan, who find the situation familiar. They join the Flock to help them clear their name. Gameplay The game's control scheme is changed from the original, players still have separate buttons to punch and kick but now have a dedicated button to jump and block. The player can now grab enemies (both from the front and from behind, like in Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun) and has a button to use special moves. A button can be used to use any item on the player's inventory without having to access the items on the menu. The player can also taunt by doing a fist bump, which can be reciprocated by another player or humorously ignored. Unlike the original game, which had similar gameplay to Double Dragon (though much more accessible and outlandish), this game has more in common with stylish beat 'em ups such as Streets of Rage 2 and Alien Vs. Predator, with characters having unique fighting styles and moves that can be used in a variety of combos. Special techniques can be purchased in a similar fashion to the original game by visiting different dojos, but each character needs to have a specific level in order to purchase a technique (this is similar to Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, where Kunio and Riki learned new techniques by leveling up). Story Mode Up to four players can play the game locally and online (the latter can be done by joining another player's game or creating a private game). The game has four difficulty levels: Story, Hard Mode, New Game+ and Fungondo. Hard Mode makes enemies harder, while New Game+ has the enemy AI behavior from the end of the game from the start. Fungondo is a combination of Hard and New Game+. The game's leveling system uses a combination of the stat upgrading system from the original game and the leveling system from Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun. Players level up after gaining enough experience, but this only increases the maximum cap of their stats (upon gaining a level the character's health will be restored). To increase a character's current stats the player has to consume items bought at a variety of shops just like the original game. Players can also purchase a variety of collectibles in these shops. Another system from Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun is a day and night cycle, some events and boss fights in the game are only available at specific times of day. Additionally, various shops are only open in the day or night, though some shops are open for 24 hours. The game also includes a subway system, allowing players to travel to different areas faster. Unlike Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki da yo Zen'in Shūgō! and Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, there is no option for instant travel in the game. Unlike the original game, which used a password system to save the player's progress, the player is able to save the game by simply pressing a button on the save option of the pause menu. This option is only available at hideouts, which are located in different areas of River City. Arena Mode The game also has an Arena Mode, accessible upon completing the game (the mode can be unlocked earlier by creating a private game and switching the Story Mode to Arena). Up to four players can fight each other (both locally and online) in the Arena, or one player can use the mode to train against various dummies. Arena mode can also be played against CPU opponents if there is a lack of players. Players can set up friendly fire (if they decide to play a team game), a timer (up to 7 minutes), modifiers (randomly enables weapons, stage effects and enemies into the fight) and the number of rounds (best of seven is the maximum). The player also has a choice of six stages to fight in, and using three separate modes they can toggle how the stages are selected. In Manual mode, the player can switch the arena after a round ends, Round Robin has the player play in each arena in order while Marathon restricts the fight to the chosen arena. The player can also make the arena selection happen randomly. Characters The game has ten playable characters, with four being playable from the start. Two of these characters can be unlocked by finding them in River City High, while the other four are unlocked as the story progresses. Enemy characters and bosses are also playable in the game's Arena Mode once they are defeated. Playable Characters Glen: Fights using Shotokan Karate. Bruno: Fights using Lucha Libre. Provie: Uses free-style dancing fighting techniques. Paul: Fights using an elegant boxing style. Mike: A heel grappler that the Flock find in the school's cafeteria. Rudy: Found in the school's gym, fights using wrestling moves. Alex: One of the hero's of the previous game, uses a brawling style of fighting. Ryan: The other hero from the original game, his fighting style uses the techniques that originated in that game. Chris: The leader of the Flock, fights with a brawling style. Wes: A Muay Thai fighter who is asked to assist the Flock. Gangs & Other Enemies The Generic Dudes: The Nerds: The Roids: The Luchas: The Bombers: The Warlocks: The Vixens: The Rich Kids: River City Police Department: Abobo: Bosses Purple Bee: Pink Bee: Calvin: Ether: Vixen Leader: Adam: Gallery Trivia * The Japanese cover art was drawn by Nina Matsumoto. She also designed the title logo of the western and Japanese versions of the game. * The Japanese version uses the names from River City Ransom in katakana (i. e., Alex is still named Alex in the Japanese version). * Bruno bears a resemblance to Bannon Rudis, the game's art director and designer. Bruno is named Bannon Belmont in the school yearbook. External Links * Official website * Kickstarter page * Steam page * GOG.com * Humble Bundle * Original soundtrack Category:Games Category:River City Category:Yoshihisa Kishimoto Category:Spin-off Category:Beat 'em up Category:Role-playing game Category:Indie